


The Scent of Mist Lilies

by rahelawriter



Series: For Your Patronage [5]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: F/M, Female Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Flowers, Healing, Identity Issues, Introspection, Kissing, Miqo'te Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Napping, Nature, Post-Patch 5.0: Shadowbringers, References to Depression, Romantic Fluff, Sunsets, light teasing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-29
Updated: 2021-01-29
Packaged: 2021-03-15 14:35:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29065947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rahelawriter/pseuds/rahelawriter
Summary: The Warrior of Light finds a familiar face napping in the Churning Mists.
Relationships: Warrior of Light/Estinien Wyrmblood
Series: For Your Patronage [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1909909
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20
Collections: Final Fantasy XIV - Estinien Wyrmblood x WoL Recommendations





	The Scent of Mist Lilies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [poppy_dreams](https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppy_dreams/gifts).



> Wyra Molkot belongs to poppy_dreams/@sage_mintx! Thank you so much for the prompt, I've been waiting for the chance to write Estinien/WoL!
> 
> (Alludes to the level 80 Dragoon quest, but WoL is not a Dragoon herself)

Dusk fell over the Churning Mists, casting the vast sky overhead in bright and vivid blues, pinks, and oranges. Zenith stood gleaming, tall and proudly in the distance. Wyra Molkot had always been awed at the sight, admiring the view as she walked along the old and broken stone road. But she wasn’t so enamored with the sky that she failed to notice the rest of the world around her; particularly when a sweet, soothing fragrance began to fill her nose. 

Looking back down, Wyra was delighted to find an entire field of lovely pink flowers up on the path ahead of her. And when she hurried forward to get a closer look, she spotted something even more amazing:

_ A familiar silver-haired figure laying down amid the blooms, fast asleep. _

With a grin, Wyra slowly and quietly approached Estinien’s sleeping form, and kneeled down for a better look at his face. But she was taken aback; he looked more at peace, more serene than she had ever seen him. There was no tension in his body, his breathing was even, he was  _ smiling… _

Wyra stared, enthralled, and sighed in amazement at how lovely he looked like this… 

But that sigh was enough to stir him. One dark blue eye cracked open, a smirk crossed his face, and an amused puff of air escaped his nose. 

“Wyra. How long were you watching me sleep?”

Sheepishly, she replied, “Ten seconds, at the most. But you looked so happy and relaxed, I didn’t want to wake you up…”

Estinien groggily sat up, popped his neck joints, and yawned. “Did I…? I meant to rest for a while before I returned to my travels, but I smelled something sweet, and a sudden drowsiness washed over me. Mayhap I rested  _ too  _ well…”

“Oh!” Realizing what might have lulled him to sleep, Wyra plucked up one of the delicate pink flowers and handed it to Estinien. “Were you smelling these, by any chance?”

Blinking in surprised recognition, the dragoon’s shoulders sagged, and he sighed. “Ah, that explains it…”

Wyra quizzically canted her head. “Explains what? Do you know these flowers?”

“Aye, I do.” Twirling the stem between his thumb and forefinger, he explained: “They’re called mist lilies; and a traveling companion of mine told me that they used to be a favorite of Nidhogg’s.”

_ “Nidhogg _ liked flowers…?”

Estinien nodded. “Strange as the image may seem to us now, he did once enjoy their soothing fragrance.” At once, his expression grew somber, even rueful. “But once the song of his beloved sibling was so brutally silenced, he was so lost to vengeance that no beauty or fragrance in the world could soothe him…”

A feeling that Wyra knew Estinien could relate to…

“I wonder…” Estinien went quiet, even contemplative, as he stared outwards--over the field of soft pink mist lilies, and towards the serene, rosy dusk scattering its lovely orange light over the gray clouds that marked the horizon. He held the lily up to his nose, slowly breathed in its scent, before it escaped him as a rare sigh. Finally, he murmured:

“This sunset, these flowers… Is it a sign that I’ve shaken off Nidhogg’s influence that I can find these sights and smells beautiful now? Or is this peace that I feel only because he found them beautiful, too...?”

Wyra couldn’t answer for a long moment… But she sidled up against him, nuzzling his shoulder. 

That affectionate gesture, however, seemed to take Estinien out of his reverie; he cleared his throat, almost seeming to be embarrassed for expressing such open vulnerability, “Ah, apologies, Wyra. This sort of brooding navel-gazing ill suits me…”

Immediately Wyra took hold of his forearm, as if to stop him from retreating. “No, no, don’t apologize; but I was thinking…”

After a moment of pause to gather those thoughts, she went on:

“The fact that you still have things in common with Nidhogg doesn’t mean you’re like him. You would be hard-pressed to find someone who  _ doesn’t  _ enjoy watching a sunset or smelling a flower. If you can take in the beauty of nature now when you couldn’t before, then that’s a good sign. It means that you’re healing.”

“Wyra…” Estinien stared and blinked at her, the tension in his shoulders lessening. Then, he smiled at her, albeit weakly. “I… can’t be certain how true that is, but… Thank you for believing so.”

“I  _ do  _ believe it; you’ve changed for the better,” Wyra said, simply and with confidence. “And if you actually bothered to  _ visit _ everyone once in a while--Aymeric, Alphinaud, your foster father--I’m sure they would all say the same.”

At that, Estinien only snorted, and stuck the flower he held into Wyra’s hair. Wyra returned the favor. The only thing this accomplished was that they both now had mist lilies in their hair. And neither of them made any effort to take theirs out.

For a time, the pair sat there, watching the sunset, leaning against each other. Estinien, however, kept glancing down at Wyra, until he finally asked: 

“…Wyra?”

“Hm?”

A slightly embarrassed grunt escaped him. “May I… kiss you…?”

A surprised pause, and a giggle escaped her. “Esti, love, you don’t need to ask.”

With all the world peaceful and quiet, in perfect harmony, his fingertips gently brushed against her jaw, raising it up to meet her gaze as he leaned down… And then hesitated, before she closed the gap, touching her lips to his. Thus emboldened, he deepened the kiss, cupping her cheeks as he pulled her closer, while she ran her hands up his neck to entwine her fingers in his long, silky hair.

Eventually, they broke away from each other, with the sun finally dipping below the horizon and Wyra then proposing that they stargaze together. A soft smile crossed Estinien’s face, gazing down at her as she laid herself among the flowers, her delicate face framed by fragrant pink petals.

There, at least, was one thing Estinien found achingly beautiful that Nidhogg wouldn’t…

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks again to Sage/poppy_dreams! If any readers would like to support me and my writing, then check out my Twitter (@RWilkes94) and read my pinned post.


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